Reenforced wall structure



B. E. BUSHNELL 1,911,058

May 23, 1933.

REENFORGED WALL STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 28, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,Jr d l\lp 3 m Y\ W I u ri & INVENTOR A fi,E.flu5hneii M y 7 ATTORNEYS y 23,1933- B. E. BUSHNELL REENFORCED WALL STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 28, 19513-Sheets-Shet 2' INVENTOR ATTO RN EYS May 23, 1933. B. E. BUSHNELL1,911,058

REENFORCED WALL STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 28, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORPatented May 23, 1933 BYRON E. BUSHNELL, F

TAMPA, FLORIDA, A SSIGNOR TO INGALLS IRON WORKS 00.,

A CORPORATION OF ALABAMA REENFOROED WALL STRUCTURE Application filedJanuary 28, 1931.

My invention relates to structures, such as storage bins, the side wallsof which are sub jected to considerable outwardpressure from the loosebull: material therein. It is my object to secure the necessary sidewall strength by the novel manner in which curved wall plates areincorporated in composite vertical beams especially designed towithstand the side wall stresses and to afford O marked economies in themanufacture and erection of such structures.

Vithout intending to limit my invention to structures for any particularuse or purpose, the principles governing its design and the advantagesresulting from the manner of its construction are especially apparentwhen applied to bins for the storage of granular materials, such ascrushed stone, sand, pebble phosphate, and the like. I11 providingstorage structures for such materials very large sums of money are beinginvested, it being common practice to erect a bin capable of receivingand protecting a capacity in excess of 20,000 long tons.

My invention contemplates the formation of side walls for suchstructures in vertical sections or panels utilizing elliptically orcircularly curved plates, bent outward or inwards according torequirements, and combined with web or plate members carrying orconnected to flanges so as to form vertical beams as component parts forthe walls. The elements of each wall section and its beam members areassembled and consolidated into an economical structural unit byriveting, welding, or by any other available means of assemblage. Thisresults in the production of composite vertical beams, the divergentcurved wall plates or sections thereof forming one flange that isstressed in tension while the other flange is stressed in compression togenerate a resistingmoment to sufficiently prevent the outward bendingof the bin-walls.

Serial No. 511,719.

In other words, I form in part out of the walls beams of novelconstruction which stand on end and are thereby adapted both to supportthe roof'and also to resist the outward stresses upon the bin walls.

My invention further contemplates forming these beams and wall sectionsin units capable of being assembled in whole or in part at the plant andsuitable for ready erection on the job. In its preferred design theupright beam section will comprise an inner flange portion, a web and anouter flange portion formed by one or more curved wall plates formingeach a complete curved wall section or panel or any desirable verticalsubdivision thereof. The Web and if desired the inner flange can beformed in whole or in part by the portions of the curved wall plates, orthe web and inner flange maybe formed of reenforced concrete connectedto the Wall plates so as to form a composite structure capable ofresisting the calculated crosswbending and shear stresses. The compositeupright beams incorporated in the curved plate Walls, as abovedescribed. may be held in position in a number of different ways commonto structural design. For example, it may be supported at top andbottom, thus forming a beam to restrict outward bending throughout itsentire length; or it may be supported additionally at one or moreintermediate points, thus acting as a continuous beam; or it may befixed at the bottom and supported at the top so as to act as a beamfixed at one endand supported at the other; or it may be fixed at thebottom and supported at the top or at one or more intermediate points,thus acting as a beam fixed at one end and continuous over severalsupports.

My invention further comprises the novel detailsof construction and theseveral arrangements of parts which are hereinafter more particularlydescribed and claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompany- In DJing drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which Fig.1 illustrates a storage bin embodying my invention in side elevationwith its side walls formed by assembled outwardly curved wall plates.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through one of the curved binwalls made up of assembled plates and showing the composite verticalbeam construction in side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2and showing one typical wall and beam section.

Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate modifications in the design of the wall beam.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate further modifications of design in which curvedwall plates are adapted themselves to form the webs and flanges of thevertical wall beams.

Fig. 8 shows an integral flanged wall plate such as is utilized in thecomposite wall beam structure shown in Fig. 7.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout thedrawings.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, I show abin structure suitable for storage of bulk material and elevated for theconvenient discharge of its contents into railway cars on the tracks 10under the bin. The bin is supported above the tracks by a series ofcolumns 11 resting on suitable foundations and carrying girders 12serving to support longitudinal I-beams 18 which in turn support theplates forming the bottom 14.- of the bin, which may be of any suitableconstruction and provided with any suitable discharge outlets or doors,which are not shown, as same form no part of my present invention.

The side walls of the bin are made. up of elliptically or circularlycurved plates 15 which as shown have their convex face outward and eachwall section may be formed of single plates or of a plurality of platessuitably connected together, according to the size and duty required ofthe storage structure. The lower end or section of each side wallsection is curved inwardly at 16 in spherical fashion so that the bottomedge of the wall section will bear directly upon the bottom I-beam 13,as shown in Fig. 2, or on the bottom plates of the bin, as may bedesired.

The side wall structure, as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, comprises thecurved plates 15 which have their side edges riveted or welded to theouter edge of an interposed web plate 17 so as to form the equivalent ofthe outer flange of a vertical composite beam, the inner flange of whichis formed by the angle 18 attached along the inner edge on oppositesides of the web plate and to which a channel 19, if desired, may beattached.

As shown in Fig. 2 the web plate 17 increases in width toward the bottomof the beam in accordance with the increase in the outward stresses itis called upon to withstand. These composite beams forming part of theside walls are suitably connected to and supported by the I-beams 13 andat their upper ends they support and are braced by the top transverseI-beains 20. These vertical beams also support a longitudinal I-beam 21upon which rest supports 22 for the superstructure and roof 23. Asuitable top plate 21 covers the curved side wall sections and it willbe observed that the load stress of the roof and of material within thecurved wall sections is transmitted directly to the columns 11. TheI-beams 12 and 21 tie the vertical side wall beams togetherlongitudinally and the I-beams 13 and tie them together transversely.

As illustrated in Fig. 3 the curved wall sections are formed by plates15 continuous from the web plate 17 of one Wall beam to the web plate 17of the adjacent wall beam, and in shop practice if desired the bin sidewall can be made up in composite units, one comprising the parts 17, 18and 19, and the other the assembled plates 15 forming wall sections, andthe parts 17, 18 and 19 may have the plates 15 forming a wall sectionassembled therewith and shipped as a unit.

If desired, the pre-assembled parts for erecting the bin wall mayconsist of the parts 17, 18 and 19 as one unit, and of the parts 17, 18and 19 with two diverging wall sections 15 connected thereto as theother unit. With the latter arrangement the units'will be setalternately and it will be only necessary on the job to rivet or weldthe free ends of the curved wall sections 15 of one series of units tothe interposed web plates of the other units.

In Fig. 4 I illustrate a modification showing the web element of thewall formed by an integral part 17a of the curved Wall plates 15 andthis construction lends itself readily to unit assemblage at the plantsince each pro-assembled unit will consist of the elements 19, 18, 17aand 15 and on the job it M would only be necessary to connect the freeedge of the plates 15 to the adjacent Web plate section 17a.

In Fig. 5 I show a complete structure in which the side walls of the binare formed by curved plates 15 combined with suitable reinforcements 25and 26 about which is poured a concrete web 27 and a concrete flange 28which will thus form a composite beam structure capable of resistingcross bending and shear stresses. The steel plates 15 will resist thetension strains, the reenforced concrete flange 28 will resist thecompression strains and the reenforced concrete web 27 will resist theshear.

In like manner, referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the steel plates 15 willresist as to tension, the elements 18 and 19 will resist as tocompression and the Webs 17 or 17a will resist as to shear.

In Fig. 6 I illustrate a. modification in which the wall units comprisetransversely curved plates 15a and 156 which are riveted or welded attheir free edges to form the curved or arcuate wall sections or panels,each plate having its flange 17a or 176 extended sufliciently to formthe web of the beam, the abutting flanges 17a or 176 being riveted orwelded together as shown, and having their end edges outturned to formthe flanges 18a and 186 which in turn are riveted or Welded to theI-beams 28.

In Fig. 7 the same construction is shown as in Fig. 6, except that theplates 15a and 156 are formed in one unit as the plate 29 which is shownin detail in Fig. 8. These curved wall plates whether integral orassembled may be preassembled at the plant to form units of wallconstruction comprising any desired combination of their respectivecomponent parts.

Though I have described with great particularity the details of theembodiment of the invention herein shown, it is not to be construed thatI am limited thereto, as changes in arrangement and substitution ofequivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A structure of the character described having sidewalls subjected to lateral stresses and formed by a plurality ofvertically disposed curved units, the side edges of each adjacent pairof wall units being joined to a vertical web element having flangesdisposed and adapted to complete a composite wall and beam construction.

2. A structure of the character described having its marginal side wallsdivided vertically into a plurality of sections formed by outwardlydeflected wall plates, and means to provide a composite vertical beamlocated adjacent to the junction of, and formed in part by each pair ofadjacent side wall sections, and adapted to function as a marginalmoment and shear resisting structure unit.

3. A structure of the character described having its marginal side wallssubdivided into vertical outwardly convex panels, and elements soassociated with the adjacent panels as to form therewith verticalmarginally disposed composite beams designed and adapted to withstand byflexural and shear resistance the contemplated lateral wall stresses.

4. A structure of the character described having its side walls formedby a sequence of transversely curved wall plates, narrow marginalvertical beam web members to the outer edge of each of a pair of whichsaid Wall plates are connected so as to form one beam flange, andelements associated with the inner edge of said web members to form theother beam flange.

5. A structure of the character described having its marginal side wallsformed by a sequence of vertical sections each comprising outwardlycurved wall plates, and composite vertical marginal wall beams forwithstanding the lateral stresses on said side walls formed in part bysaid wall plates stressed in tension and in part by narrow beam webshaving inner flanges stressed in compression, said stresses beingimposed in accordance with fleXural principles responsive to the websresistance to horizontal and vertical shear.

6. A structure of the character described having opposite marginal sidewalls formed by a series of vertical transversely curved wall sections,a vertical web member of a marginal composite beam connecting adjacentcurved sections, a flange on said web member to complete the beam, andsuitable cross tie members connecting opposite composite beams.

7. A structure of the character decribed having marginal side wallsformed by a series of vertical transversely curved wall sections,vertical web members to each of which divergent wall sections areattached to serve as a beam flange, flanges attached to the othervertical web edge, and means to support and cross brace opposite wallplates and their associated composite beams.

8. A structure of the character described having marginal side wallsformed in vertical sections by transversely curved wall plates which areconnected at their adjacent edges, the plates of one wall section beingextended beyond the junction line to form a vertical beam Web, and aflange provided at the free edge of said web to complete a compositemarginal wall beam.

9. A structure according to claim 8, in which the plate extension fromthe beam web widens downwardly to increase the capacity of the compositevertical wall beams to withstand lateral stresses.

10. A continuous wall construction consisting wholly of a series oftransversely arched plates in combination with web plates and flanges,assembled to form a composite beam and wall structure capable ofresisting cross bending and shearing stresses.

11. A steel bin having continuous side Walls formed of verticallydisposed connected units, each unit comprising a transversely curvedwall plate, a flange, and a web element associated with said plate andflange and adapted to form a marginal series of vertical composite beamswhen said units are assembled in a side wall, which units are adapted toresist the outward forces exerted by the bin contents by flexure andshear.

12. In a structure having its side Wall subjected to lateral pressure, asystem of curved wall plates adapted to form vertical trans- Verselycurved sections of said Wall, and reenforced concrete web and flangeelements located marginally about the structure and connected to saidplates at the junction of said wall sections and adapted in conjunctionwith said wall plates to form marginal composite vertical wall beamsadapted by fiexural and shear resistance to withstand the outward wallstresses.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

BYRON E. BUSHNELL.

